What is the state of human rights in Europe?

Käte Hamburger Kolleg organises public panel discussion on 8 January

More and more countries are tightening their migration policies and closing their borders. What does this mean for human rights in Europe? The Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism’ (EViR) at the University of Münster is hosting a panel discussion on this issue on Thursday, 8 January 2026, at 18.00 in the auditorium of the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur (Domplatz 10, 48143 Münster).

The panel will include Hamburg human rights lawyer Carsten Gericke, political scientist Prof. Dr. Ulrike Krause from the University of Münster and legal scholar Prof. Dr. Anna Katharina Mangold from the University of Flensburg. Human rights expert Prof. Dr. Nora Markard from the Käte Hamburger Kolleg will moderate.

While European courts insist on applicable EU law and human rights, politicians see their scope for action as limited. Rightly so? The panel will discuss the relationship between jurisprudence and politics and what a modern asylum system might look like that takes human rights seriously as a guiding principle.

Please note: The event language is German. Admission is free, no registration required. Following the discussion, the Kolleg invites you to a reception.

Further information on the event can be found here.